


Icing on the Cake

by leporidae



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, Kissing, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-25
Updated: 2017-12-25
Packaged: 2019-02-20 06:28:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,374
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13140987
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leporidae/pseuds/leporidae
Summary: Cake is sweeter when eaten with the person you care about most.





	Icing on the Cake

**Author's Note:**

  * For [chris_phd](https://archiveofourown.org/users/chris_phd/gifts).



> This is my third year in a row participating in KnB Secret Santa, and somehow the first time I've gotten midotaka as a suggestion, which honestly made me very happy. They are my favorite, after all.
> 
> Happy holidays whatever you celebrate, and I hope you enjoy your dose of fluff!

"Shin-chan, you have frosting on your face."  
  
An irritated grunt leaves Midorima's lips as Takao reaches up to swipe a finger across his cheek, and Takao can't help but grin as his boyfriend swats halfheartedly at his hand like a lazy cat, a comparison he's certain Midorima would loathe.   
  
Earlier that evening, Midorima had sunk into the depths of a sour mood after completely botching the Christmas cake he had thoughtfully (albeit unsuccessfully) attempted to bake for the two of them. The sight of the charcoal-black ruined cake had caused Takao to tear up with laughter, an act that had only further ruffled his sensitive partner's feathers. Takao hadn't meant anything by it, of course; in fact, he found it rather endearing that Midorima, seemingly flawless in so many aspects, could not cook to save his life. But Midorima's pride had been wounded, and it has taken a lot of gentle coaxing to even get him to return to the kitchen, much less collaborate with him to bake a second (and edible) cake.  
  
"Use a napkin like a normal person," Midorima mutters, though he does not jerk his head away from Takao's touch.  
  
On Takao's finger there is now a dollop of frosting that had adorned Midorima's cheek a moment prior. Rather than respond to Midorima's chiding, he locks eyes with the other for several moments before placing the frosted fingertip in his mouth and licking the frosting away with a purposefully loud _slurp_.  
  
Midorima's eyes narrow with displeasure. "That's unsanitary," he mutters, but the dusting of rosy blush on his cheeks belies his true feelings on the matter. "You have no manners."  
  
"Does that matter?" Takao replies lazily, shifting next to Midorima on the sofa and placing a hand on the other's thigh. He can feel the other startle under his touch but not pull away, which is enough to tell him he's won this non-argument before it has even begun. "We're not in public. Not everything needs to be some biology lesson about germs, Shin-chan. Let loose and live a little."   
  
He knows that when it comes to his boyfriend - tall, awkward, and handsome - letting loose is about as likely as winning two free tickets to a sold out _OLDCODEX_ concert. That is to say - it is unlikely, but not entirely impossible.

(...Takao knows this because Midorima had won such a lottery for the both of them a month prior, entering on a day Cancer had been ranked first place in Oha-Asa. Midorima had claimed he won the tickets merely to prove a point about the power of his superior luck and effort, but Takao knew better: Midorima had done it for him.)  
  
And as his _tsundere_ boyfriend performs miraculous and thoughtful favors, so too is he able to loosen up. The normally stoic man displays a far vaster spectrum of emotions around Takao than he does for anyone else: affectionate ribbing he reserves for particularly good days, vulnerabilities and anxieties he otherwise keeps locked away from the rest of the world, smiles only Takao is allowed to see.   
  
One of those smiles rests on his face right now.   
  
Takao's stomach does a nervous backflip.   
  
"Since the cake turned out all right, I _suppose_ I will give you a pass for the time being," Midorima says, stilted and clinical as ever. Takao knows he must be far gone when a laughably unromantic statement delivered in such a flat manner conjures up an alarming swell of affection within his chest.   
  
Then again, he's been far gone for a long time.   
  
Wordlessly Takao raises his hand yet again, this time to run the pads of his fingers down Midorima's arm, feather light, until he reaches the other's hand and entwines their fingers. He can feel the nervous shudder, the beginnings of a retreat, before Midorima relaxes into his touch, a soft sigh releasing the tension in his shoulders. Ever since they started dating - no, even before - Midorima has reacted to physical contact with hesitance, a nervous animal shrinking from human touch. Yet despite his moments of tense uncertainty, Midorima has been surprisingly open about admitting what sort of touches feel good. Not with his words, of course, but with subtle cues of his body that he knows Takao's astuteness will pick up on. Like the sighs, and the smiles.   
  
"Takao."   
  
Midorima's voice rumbles lowly; Takao can practically feel its vibrations through their linked hands. "Mm?"   
  
"Thank you for helping me."   
  
Straightforward gratitude? That's rather rare as far as Midorima is concerned. Takao blinks slowly, taken aback by his boyfriend's words. "Helping you? Like - with the cake?"

Midorima purses his lips ever so slightly, a habit imperceptible to most but one that tips off Takao to his boyfriend’s uncertainty. He makes this face when Takao is wrong about something, and he’s trying to decide whether to reply to the comment with sarcasm or a lecture. Patiently Takao waits, clasping his hands in his lap and fingers fidgeting for what feels like an eternity. The delay probably means Midorima is going to say something rather serious - _can’t he get on with it already?_ Takao doesn’t like waiting, impatience coursing through his veins. _Shin-chan, get on with -_

A hand snakes around his waist, and suddenly Takao isn’t thinking anymore, body pulled flush against the other's. This isn’t sarcasm or a lecture after all, but the rare third option: physical affection. Midorima’s other hand cups his jaw, and Takao’s breath hitches in his chest at the soft and slightly sticky pads of fingers against his chin, unwrapped to avoid dirtying his usual bandages with frosting. Midorima tilts his head up to press their lips together, and Takao’s attentive eyes flutter shut, satisfied with a sensation he doesn’t have to see to understand. His tongue darts out gingerly, not wanting to agitate Midorima again, and even then he can feel the other flinch - yet still he parts his lips with a huff, even now feigning exasperation at the admittance. How is it possible to keep up a sassy front while making out with someone? Takao doesn’t know, but he loves that about Midorima, whose quirks are like a sour candy, stinging but addictive, burning to the touch but always roping you back in for more.

Right now, though, Midorima is hardly sour. Takao can taste cake and the oshiruko he’d washed it down with on his tongue, the latter a familiar flavor that makes him feel at home. At the beginning of their relationship, Midorima would never have let him in like this, literally or metaphorically, but it has become second nature for the both of them to share in everything. Share their space, their habits, the taste of each other’s lips, their trust and their lives.

Gently Takao pulls away first, slightly breathless (damn Midorima’s stamina!). “Shin-chan,” he mumbles softly, before falling silent. A typically facetious joke doesn’t seem fitting here, not after the moment they’ve shared.

Midorima’s cheeks are red and shiny, complimenting the shade of his hair like a festive holiday decoration. “Not for the cake,” he says stiffly, pressing the black frames of his glasses up his nose with one finger, and it takes Takao a lengthy moment to remember what he’d even asked in the first place. “In - in general.”

 _Thank you for helping me… in general?_ Ah, now Takao understands what he’d meant, and he can’t help but grin. In his own roundabout way, Midorima is thanking him for allowing the two them to be together, for supporting him and allowing his support. The corners of Takao's eyes crinkle with happiness. He can’t help it - the formal way in which Midorima expresses heartfelt emotions is too adorable to handle.

“In general, huh?” Takao raises an eyebrow. “Okay, but the cake turned out really good - you’ve gotta admit it.”

Midorima rolls his eyes. “You are missing the point, Takao,” he says, but when he lifts his hand to adjust his glasses yet again, what Takao doesn’t miss is the trace of a smile tucked away under his palm. Even if Midorima still struggles to express it verbally, Takao knows that somehow - in his impish, overly-talkative way - he’s making his boyfriend happy simply by being there.

Neither of them would have it any other way.


End file.
